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IPL Player

and now even the isrealis are starting to capitulate and come
to terms with the emerging order in the middle east.

[h=1]The emerging hegemony of Iran[/h] The swearing-in, earlier this week, of a new government in Yemen does not mark the end of the Iranian-backed Shia rebellion in that country. In September, the Shia rebels (also known as “Houtis”) took over the capital city of Sana’a and the Al-Hudayah port on the Red Sea (Yemen’s second most important port after Aden). Iran’s immediate aim is for its Shia offshoot to take control of the Bab-el Mandeb strait, the strategic passageway between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Iran’s broader strategy, however, is to encircle Saudi Arabia with a Shia-controlled ring.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a former Iranian foreign minister who now advises the Supreme Leader Ali Khameni, declared that his plan is for the Houtis to become to Yemen what Hezbollah is to Lebanon, i.e. a Shia faction in control of an Arab state. Ali Riza Zakani, an Iranian member of parliament who is also close to Khamenei, added that with the fall of Sana’a there are now four Arab capitals in Iran’s hands: Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut, and Sana’a. True, Baghdad and Damascus were recently threatened by the Sunni Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). But the Iranian-backed Quds Force was able to keep Baghdad under Iranian control, and in Syria Bashar Assad has held on to power thanks to Iran’s support.

With Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon in the north, and Yemen in the south, the Iranian ring around Saudi Arabia is taking shape. Iran’s next target is Bahrain. Kayhan (the Iranian newspaper controlled by Khamenei) wrote recently that the al-Saud family will fall and the Sunni kingdom will not survive the Houti rebellion in Yemen. Iranian journalist Mohammed Sadeq Al-Husseini declared on the pro-Iranian Lebanese television station Mayadeen that Saudi Arabia is a tribe on the verge of extinction and that once Iran controls the Bab-el Mandeb strait, it will block Israel’s access to the Indian Ocean. Iran’s control of Bab-el Mandeb will also make it harder for Israel to intercept ships carrying weapons, which Iran dispatches to Gaza.

A decade ago, Iran was on the defensive. It was encircled by US troops in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Under US pressure, Assad was compelled to withdraw his army from Lebanon. Today, however, Iran is on the offensive. It is even being courted by the Obama Administration to fight ISIL. As soon as Iran becomes a nuclear threshold state thanks to the agreement it is negotiating with the West, it will become the most influential and powerful country of the Middle East. A nuclear, or even near-nuclear, Iran will enable this regional hegemon to control the strategic Hormuz and Bab-el Mandeb straits.

In retrospect, Iran has been the main beneficiary of the ill-named “Arab Spring.” The collapse of US-backed Arab regimes and the US retreat from Iraq have left a void eagerly filled by Iran. The struggle against ISIL has turned Iran, almost overnight, from America’s number one enemy to its indispensable partner. In fact, there is a pattern of US policies paradoxically serving long-term Iranian interests. Such was the case when the United States ousted the Taliban from Afghanistan in 2001 and Saddam Hussein from Baghdad in 2003. Now, the United States is adopting a conciliatory attitude in the nuclear negotiations in order to secure Iran’s alleged cooperation in the struggle against ISIL.

Iran, on the other hand, is becoming more and more outspoken and open about its endgame. It boasts about its control of four Arab capitals, says that its goal is the fall of the al-Saud family, and admits that it wants to control the two strategic straits north and south of the Arabian Peninsula.

As for Israel, Khamenei just tweeted a nine-point plan for Israel’s destruction. US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned it as “unacceptable and shocking.” Yet it is from Khamenei’s Iran that the Obama Administration is asking for help to fight ISIL, and it is with Khamenei’s Iran that the same administration is now concluding a nuclear deal that will keep Iran six to 18 months away from the ability to produce fissile material for a bomb.
The Houti progress in Yemen must therefore be understood in a broader context. Iran is gaining the upper hand in the Sunni-Shia rift. If the looming deal between Iran and the P5+1 group enables the Islamic Shia Republic to build a bomb within a year, its hegemony in the Middle East will be unstoppable.

Emmanuel Navon chairs the Political Science and Communication Department at the Jerusalem Orthodox College and teaches International Relations at Tel-Aviv University and the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center. He is a Senior Fellow at the Kohelet Policy Forum.

IPL Player

the fat shiekhs in the persian gulf and their allies in the
apartheid regime of isreal must be needing an extra shot of
brandy before they can fall sleep tonight.obama in his last 2 years
is going to break many taboos.

[h=1]Obama's historic opening to Cuba: A hint of things to come with Iran?[/h]
Washington — President Obama’s decision to reestablish full diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States for the first time since 1961 reflects the president’s conviction – laid out in his first inaugural address – that engagement with foreign adversaries is better than isolation.
Mr. Obama’s historic decision means that two longtime antagonists – who have what the president himself described Wednesday as a “unique history” – will establish embassies in each other’s capital and exchange ambassadors. While lifting the half-century-old US embargo on the Communist island would take an act of Congress, Mr. Obama will go as far as legally permissible to ease travel and trade restrictions between the two countries and get relations to “normal.”
“It’s time for a new approach” with Cuba, Obama said in an Oval Office televised statement. “These 50 years have shown that isolation does not work.”

.
.
.
One senior administration official, who briefed reporters Wednesday on the Cuban diplomacy, made a specific comparison to a secret administration diplomatic effort with Iranian officials in 2013. That mission led to a “joint plan of action” on Iran’s nuclear program and an unprecedented degree of diplomatic contact between the US and Iran.
Obama specifically referred to Iran in his 2009 “engagement with adversaries” inaugural address.

IPL Player

i still think dick & bush are iranian moles at the highest level
of the american government.the justice or the treasury dept.
must investigate these 2 individuals.

How Foreign-Policy Hawks Empowered Iran
Invading Iraq didn't strengthen America's hand with Tehran. In fact, it did just the opposite.

The Associated Press reported on Monday that Iraqis now consider Iran a more important ally against Sunni extremists from the Islamic State than the United States, and that as a result, "Tehran's influence in Iraq, already high since U.S. forces left at the end of 2011, has grown to an unprecedented level." The story quotes an Iraqi official who reports that Iran sold Iraq $10 billion worth of weapons over the last year. Says Iraqi lawmaker Mohammed al-Karbuly, "Iran now dominates Iraq."

This is an important moment to revisit some recent history.

Roughly 13 years ago, President George W. Bush declared Iraq, Iran, and North Korea to be members of an "axis of evil" (though Iran and Iraq were enemies at the time). Prominent Bush administration officials believed that the invasion and occupation of Iraq would strengthen America's hand in relations with Iran. Undersecretary of State John Bolton told Israel prior to the Iraq War that the U.S. would deal with Iran after the conflict was over. And assumptions implicit in that fantasy plan would soon emerge as conventional wisdom in the mainstream media.

For example, on April 11, 2003, 60 Minutes aired the dispatch, "Iran: The Country Next Door," which began, "When Saddam developed a nuclear bomb, we responded with total war. How do we respond if Iran does the same? Morley Safer reports from Iran." The ensuing analysis leaned heavily on Geoffrey Kemp, then the director of regional strategic programs at the Nixon Center. He is paraphrased as arguing that "Iran will feel dangerously isolated after the U.S. war with Iraq is over," and stated the following in his own words: "We will be not only a major presence in Iraq. We will be in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman. We're all around them, and we're encircling them with the most extraordinary military power the world has ever seen assembled. They are very nervous about this."

IPL Player

the 4th quarter has just started and the game is really on now.
the agents of the apartheid regime in isreal are now going to get
a choice.fight your own president and side with a foreign power
or look after the long term interests of the american people.
this is aipac's last stand.

[h=1]Obama Sets Fight Over Iran Sanctions[/h][h=2]President Vows to Veto Legislation Calling for New Penalties; Cameron Makes Appeal to Lawmakers[/h]WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama vowed to veto any legislation approving new economic sanctions against Iran, placing him on a collision course with the Republican-controlled Congress as U.S. diplomats seek to secure a deal curtailing Tehran’s nuclear program by July.Mr. Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron , appearing at a joint news conference Friday, both said the enactment of new financial penalties on Iran could unravel more than a year of high-level diplomacy and rekindle fears of a Western military confrontation with Tehran’s Islamist government.U.S. lawmakers, both Republican and Democratic, have been drafting new legislation to impose a new round of sanctions on Tehran if an agreement isn’t reached by a July diplomatic deadline.Iranian diplomats have said they would pull out of the talks if the U.S. imposes any new sanctions on their country.

“I am asking Congress to hold off because our negotiators, our partners, those are most intimately involved in this assess that it will jeopardize the possibility of providing a diplomatic solution,” Mr. Obama said. “I will veto a bill that comes to my desk.”Mr. Cameron said he had personally lobbied top U.S. senators on Friday against imposing new sanctions, a rare public admission by a foreign leader that raised eyebrows in Washington. “Yes, I have contacted a couple of senators this morning and I may speak to one or two more this afternoon,” he said, adding that the contacts weren’t intended to have the British prime minister tell the U.S. Senate what to do. “That wouldn’t be right,” Mr. Cameron said.Instead, it was to express the view of a key American ally that “we should not impose further sanctions now,” Mr. Cameron said. “That would be counterproductive, and it could put at risk the valuable international unity that has been so crucial to our approach.”

IPL Player

the 4th quarter has just started and the game is really on now.
the agents of the apartheid regime in isreal are now going to get
a choice.fight your own president and side with a foreign power
or look after the long term interests of the american people.
this is aipac's last stand.

Obama Sets Fight Over Iran Sanctions

President Vows to Veto Legislation Calling for New Penalties; Cameron Makes Appeal to Lawmakers

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama vowed to veto any legislation approving new economic sanctions against Iran, placing him on a collision course with the Republican-controlled Congress as U.S. diplomats seek to secure a deal curtailing Tehran’s nuclear program by July.Mr. Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron , appearing at a joint news conference Friday, both said the enactment of new financial penalties on Iran could unravel more than a year of high-level diplomacy and rekindle fears of a Western military confrontation with Tehran’s Islamist government.U.S. lawmakers, both Republican and Democratic, have been drafting new legislation to impose a new round of sanctions on Tehran if an agreement isn’t reached by a July diplomatic deadline.Iranian diplomats have said they would pull out of the talks if the U.S. imposes any new sanctions on their country.

“I am asking Congress to hold off because our negotiators, our partners, those are most intimately involved in this assess that it will jeopardize the possibility of providing a diplomatic solution,” Mr. Obama said. “I will veto a bill that comes to my desk.”Mr. Cameron said he had personally lobbied top U.S. senators on Friday against imposing new sanctions, a rare public admission by a foreign leader that raised eyebrows in Washington. “Yes, I have contacted a couple of senators this morning and I may speak to one or two more this afternoon,” he said, adding that the contacts weren’t intended to have the British prime minister tell the U.S. Senate what to do. “That wouldn’t be right,” Mr. Cameron said.Instead, it was to express the view of a key American ally that “we should not impose further sanctions now,” Mr. Cameron said. “That would be counterproductive, and it could put at risk the valuable international unity that has been so crucial to our approach.”

By Dan Riehl, Breitbart NewsEveryone involved seems to be trying to put the best face on it, but Barack Obama went so far as to suggest senior Democrats like Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who take a hard line on Iran, are doing so purely to appease their donors.

Obama said that as a former senator himself, he understood how outside forces — like special interests and donors — can influence senators to act, one of the senators recounted.

Menendez scoffed at the notion in what’s being reported as a “heated exchange” with Obama according to other senators in the room. His contention being, it’s better to negotiate from a position of strength, as opposed to the weakness Obama seems to like to show America’s enemies.

IPL Player

the fat shiekhs in the persian gulf and their allies in the
apartheid regime of isreal must be needing an extra shot of
brandy before they can fall sleep tonight.obama in his last 2 years
is going to break many taboos.

[h=1]Obama's historic opening to Cuba: A hint of things to come with Iran?[/h]
Washington — President Obama’s decision to reestablish full diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States for the first time since 1961 reflects the president’s conviction – laid out in his first inaugural address – that engagement with foreign adversaries is better than isolation.
Mr. Obama’s historic decision means that two longtime antagonists – who have what the president himself described Wednesday as a “unique history” – will establish embassies in each other’s capital and exchange ambassadors. While lifting the half-century-old US embargo on the Communist island would take an act of Congress, Mr. Obama will go as far as legally permissible to ease travel and trade restrictions between the two countries and get relations to “normal.”
“It’s time for a new approach” with Cuba, Obama said in an Oval Office televised statement. “These 50 years have shown that isolation does not work.”

.
.
.
One senior administration official, who briefed reporters Wednesday on the Cuban diplomacy, made a specific comparison to a secret administration diplomatic effort with Iranian officials in 2013. That mission led to a “joint plan of action” on Iran’s nuclear program and an unprecedented degree of diplomatic contact between the US and Iran.
Obama specifically referred to Iran in his 2009 “engagement with adversaries” inaugural address.

IPL Player

the cat is now out of the bag.iran & the usa are indeed
negotiating on how to divide the middle east between
each other.

[h=1]REPORT: U.S. PREPARED TO RELY UPON IRAN FOR REGIONAL STABILITY IN AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ & SYRIA[/h]
[h=2]European officials have reportedly relayed a message to Israeli officials about the Obama administration’s plans concerning the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran. The U.S. and Iran arereportedly closing in on a deal that would allow the Ayatollah’s regime to keep the vast majority of its centrifuges running, while also allowing for Iran to be in charge of stabilizing its surrounding region.[/h]Israeli Army Radio reports that the deal is being brokered between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The Iranians would purportedly have to make sure that there are no flare-ups in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. It remains unclear how Iran would rein in the three countries, all of which remain hotbeds of sectarian violence. In exchange for Iran agreeing to terms that appear to very much empower its regime, the United States will also agree to lift its economic sanctions against Iran, according to reports.

IPL Player

with the crime minister of isreal coming to washington and making a fool out
of himself and his audience in the congress and insulting the intelligence of
every single american,it's clear that we are approaching the last act of what i
predicted almost 2 years ago in the first post of this thread.the fat lady has not
come on stage yet but she is about to enter.i think by know even the slowest
of the slow learners have to come to understand what i envisioned 2 years ago.

[h=2]my note on the current global affairs[/h]

the syrian and korean threads have been polluted with too much noise.
as promised i give you my understanding of what is going on in this brief note.

can obama pull a nixon?

we have to look at the world as a whole when analyzing the events in the middle east.
the united states has been the dominant force in that region ever since the uk withdrew their forces
in the early 70s.after vitenam war ended the u.s. pivoted to the persian gulf.the opening of china to
the world by nixon gave the u.s. the freedom to plan their next doctrine which was put into writing by
president carter and his national security team.ever since the u.s. has been operating based on that doctrine
which made the persian gulf and the security of oil supplies it's #1 priority in foreign policy.that doctrine
is coming to an end now.the u.s. is not as dependent on the oil supplies from the persian gulf and in fact
the estimates are that they are going to be totally independent of that oil supply in the near future.hence
the recent pivot/rebalancing towards asia that president obama and his national security team have initiated and which
will be the basis of the next security doctrine for the u.s.

with this new doctrine the u.s. has to wrap up their involvement in the middle east and in particular the persian gulf
and pass the baton to a partner that can provide the security for the region.this is precisely the reason why the arab
spring was put into motion with the support of the u.s. and her allies.also this is why the uk and france were so eager
join in and fill the vacuum that is going to be left by the u.s.absence.the u.s. doctrine is not yet finalized.the isreali firsters
and their wings of both the republican and democratic party in particular are trying to shape the events from their own prespective and
dictate their plans for the region to obama and his team.note the reluctance of obama getting involved in libya and syria and the eagerness
of u.k. and france to get involved in both countries.also note the alliance between turkey and the reactionary forces in the arab world to
confront iran and her allies in the region.

it seems to me that obama and his team have come to the conclusion that iran is the only sane and civilized nation,
with enough power,wealth and manpower,that can be trusted in being the dominant force in the region.this has alarmed
the semites,both jews and arabs,in the region which are trying very hard to prevent the required rapprochement between
iran and the u.s. for this doctrinve to begin taking shape.turkey is also being left out of the u.s. plan and they are playing
a very confused game with close ties to the reactionary arabs and on the other hand having very troubled relations with the isrealis.
at the same time turkey also knows that iran is the only power they can trust in the region.so it is plausible that they will
pivot towards iran once iran and the u.s. come to an agreement.this is why the republican right wing and the democratic
agents of isrealis in the u.s. policy making apparatus are doing their best to prevent a deal between iran and the u.s.

what is certain is that the u.s. is wrapping up it's involvement in the persian gulf and will not allow under any
circumstances a new conflict with iran in the region.that is just not financially or militarily in their long term interest and
future pivot towards east asia to deal with a surging china. the $64 question is will iran cooperate in implementing
this new doctrine.at then end it is up to obama and his team need to sweeten the offer a lot for iran to lose their mistrust and become a
trusted partner for the u.s. for the next few decades.

in short, it is now up to obama to be a visionary and make his iran play as nixon did his china play.​

IPL Player

the cons in the u.s. congress are beyond desperate now.after their
audience with the crime minister of isreal gained nothing for them now
they are actually going beyond all protocol and have written an open
letter to iranian leaders and basically told them that any agreement with
the usa is not worth the paper it is written on.in other words they are sabatoging
ongoing negotiations with a foreign nation.this is clearly against the logan act.
one thing is for sure,even if no deal is made iran has masterfully divided not only
the p5+1 but even the internal forces in american politics.
what a bust!

[h=1]Angry White House and G.O.P. Senators Clash Over Letter to Iran[/h]WASHINGTON — The fractious debate over a possible nuclear deal withIran escalated on Monday as 47 Republican senators warned Iran against making an agreement with President Obama and the White House accused them of undercutting foreign policy.In an exceedingly rare direct congressional intervention into diplomatic negotiations, the Republicans sent an open letter addressed to “leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran” declaring that any agreement could be reversed by the next president “with the stroke of a pen.”The letter appeared aimed at unraveling an agreement even as negotiators grow close to reaching it. Mr. Obama, working with leaders of five other world powers, argues that the emerging agreement would be the best way to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, while critics from both parties contend that it would be a dangerous charade that would still leave Iran with the opportunity to eventually build weapons that could destroy Israel or other foes.

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama told Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that Washington would "reassess" its options on U.S.-Israel relations and Middle East diplomacy after the Israeli prime minister took a position against Palestinian statehood during his re-election campaign, a White House official said.Obama’s telephone call to Netanyahu followed a television interview in which the Israeli leader backed away from his pre-election declaration that there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, an about-face apparently aimed at quelling U.S. criticism triggered by his comments.The White House, unmoved by Netanyahu’s effort to backtrack, delivered a fresh rebuke against him on Thursday and signaled that Washington may reconsider its decades-old policy of shielding close ally Israel from international pressure at the United Nations.An official statement put out later in the day said Obama called Netanyahu to congratulate him on his election win and used the opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to a two-state solution, a longtime cornerstone of U.S. policy on the Middle East conflict.But Obama also delivered a blunt message that underscored the seriousness of the U.S.-Israel rift. "The president told the prime minister that we will need to reassess our options following the prime minister's new positions and comments regarding the two-state solution," the White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

IPL Player

it's not secret now that persian power is on the rise.we predicted that
almost 2 years ago in this thread.this reality is now being discussed on
the mass media and even npr is talking about it.

The U.S. and its international partners continue nuclear negotiations with Iran. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Yale professor Stephen Carter about Iran's position in the Middle East.

SIMON: What are the implications of that, as you see it?CARTER: Well, there are a couple of different ways of looking at it. On the one hand, one could argue that every region needs a dominant power, but the truth is that for a long time U.S. policy in the region was to use Iraq as a bulwark against Iran being - remaining the dominant power in the area. Iran has always been surrounded by hostile neighbors. Now its neighbors are pretty much in disarray and that has to mean that other countries in the region, with Iraq not available as a bulwark and indeed falling under Iran's influence, are going to begin to see Iran as an even greater threat. And this is independent of whether it develops its own nuclear weapons or not.SIMON: Is it possible the results of the Israeli elections might make some people in Iran feel, well, the U.S. might be more or less done holding Israel's coat?CARTER: I don't know. I don't pretend to be an expert on Israeli politics. I think Iran's ambitions in the Middle East are in a sense quite independent of Israel. That is to say that the desire of Iran to expand its sphere of influence would, I think, be taking place whoever had won the election in Israel, and frankly, whatever the U.S. policy to what Israel might be as well. One has to look at this as an assertion of Iran's self-interest. Part of the self-interest there in Iran, by the way, may also be - because the economy has been weakening because of the sanctions and of course because of the falling price of oil - that it's always useful, as we see in the case of Vladimir Putin, to tell your people we're going to be expanding outward to create, in a sense, an external enemy as way of creating a nationalistic fervor that can help the regime staying in power.

IPL Player

obama needs to step up to the plate and go to bat for his vision.
he knows that a deal with iran is in the strategic interest of the usa.
but he has not yet tried to explain to american people why such a deal
is in their interest.he is only narrating his vision as trying to keep iran
from making nukes which is not the reality but only the politically easy
way of trying to make the deal.what a bust indeed!

Stakes in the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 couldn’t be higher for the countries involved—especially for the United States. After nearly a decade and a half of disastrously self-damaging wars, “counter-terrorism campaigns,” and military occupations in the Middle East, the dysfunction and incoherence of U.S. policy is now on full display, from Iraq to Libya, Syria, and now Yemen. To recover, Washington must accept on-the-ground realities: U.S. efforts to dominate the region have failed and the Islamic Republic of Iran is now a rising power with which America must come to terms. But President Obama has yet to explain why the United States—for its own interests, not as a favor to Iran, or simply because Americans are war-weary—needs rapprochement with the Islamic Republic. Absent such advocacy, his administration may still reach a nuclear deal with Iran. But it will lose the political fight at home over a new Iran policy, squandering the chance for a broader strategic opening with Tehran and locking the United States into increasingly steep strategic decline in the Middle East and globally.

IPL Player

obama needs to step up to the plate and go to bat for his vision.
he knows that a deal with iran is in the strategic interest of the usa.
but he has not yet tried to explain to american people why such a deal
is in their interest.he is only narrating his vision as trying to keep iran
from making nukes which is not the reality but only the politically easy
way of trying to make the deal.what a bust indeed!

Busted Stuff: America's Disastrous Iran Policy

A deal on nukes won't be enough. America needs to change its geopolitical view of Iran.

Stakes in the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 couldn’t be higher for the countries involved—especially for the United States. After nearly a decade and a half of disastrously self-damaging wars, “counter-terrorism campaigns,” and military occupations in the Middle East, the dysfunction and incoherence of U.S. policy is now on full display, from Iraq to Libya, Syria, and now Yemen. To recover, Washington must accept on-the-ground realities: U.S. efforts to dominate the region have failed and the Islamic Republic of Iran is now a rising power with which America must come to terms. But President Obama has yet to explain why the United States—for its own interests, not as a favor to Iran, or simply because Americans are war-weary—needs rapprochement with the Islamic Republic. Absent such advocacy, his administration may still reach a nuclear deal with Iran. But it will lose the political fight at home over a new Iran policy, squandering the chance for a broader strategic opening with Tehran and locking the United States into increasingly steep strategic decline in the Middle East and globally.

looks like obama is finally going to bat for his policies by putting
some pressure on congress to support a deal with iran.this might
be too late but it is significant for the preservation and implementation
of the deal if one is reached and signed.

[h=1]Barack Obama Ramps Up Lobbying on Iran as Deadline Looms[/h]
As negotiations with Iran on a nuclear deal come down to the wire, the White House is ramping up a yearlong campaign to persuade lawmakers and the public to support an agreement.
In recent days, officials have tried to neutralize skeptical Democrats by arguing that opposing President Barack Obama would empower the new Republican majority, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration has lined up Republicans to try to tamp down a likely political battle over any deal with Iran and scientists to defend an agreement on its technical merits.
Perhaps most significant, White House officials have begun to express privately a willingness to accept legislation that gives Congress some oversight of the nuclear deal if talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne result in agreement on the main outlines of a final nuclear deal before Tuesday night’s deadline.

By Dan Riehl, Breitbart NewsEveryone involved seems to be trying to put the best face on it, but Barack Obama went so far as to suggest senior Democrats like Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who take a hard line on Iran, are doing so purely to appease their donors.

Obama said that as a former senator himself, he understood how outside forces — like special interests and donors — can influence senators to act, one of the senators recounted.

Menendez scoffed at the notion in what’s being reported as a “heated exchange” with Obama according to other senators in the room. His contention being, it’s better to negotiate from a position of strength, as opposed to the weakness Obama seems to like to show America’s enemies.

don't ever mess with a sitting president even if all the jew money is on
your side.

AP source: US moving toward charging doctor in Menendez case

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors are moving toward charging a Florida eye doctor over his dealings with New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, according to a person familiar with a Justice Department investigation into their relationship.

The person said prosecutors are expected to bring charges against Dr. Salomon Melgen, whose medical offices were raided two years ago by federal authorities and who has been a political donor and longtime Menendez friend. Melgen has not been cooperating with prosecutors against Menendez, according to the person, who was not authorized to comment on the record about an ongoing federal investigation.

Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, could also be charged as early as this week. He has repeatedly said that he has done nothing wrong and that he has always served honorably in Congress.

IPL Player

don't ever mess with a sitting president even if all the jew money is on
your side.

AP source: US moving toward charging doctor in Menendez case

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors are moving toward charging a Florida eye doctor over his dealings with New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, according to a person familiar with a Justice Department investigation into their relationship.

The person said prosecutors are expected to bring charges against Dr. Salomon Melgen, whose medical offices were raided two years ago by federal authorities and who has been a political donor and longtime Menendez friend. Melgen has not been cooperating with prosecutors against Menendez, according to the person, who was not authorized to comment on the record about an ongoing federal investigation.

Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, could also be charged as early as this week. He has repeatedly said that he has done nothing wrong and that he has always served honorably in Congress.

the dominican fraud is indicted.obama must be high-fiving with valeri.

[h=1]New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on corruption charges[/h]WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez was indicted on corruption charges Wednesday, accused of using his office to improperly benefit a Florida eye doctor and political donor.The indictment charged the New Jersey Democrat with 14 counts, including bribery and conspiracy, over his ties to Dr. Salomon Melgen, a wealthy doctor and the politician's longtime friend.Melgen also was charged in the case.The indictment from a grand jury in New Jersey was the latest development in a federal investigation that came into public view when federal authorities raided Melgen's medical offices two years ago. The investigation focused on whether the senator had improperly advocated on Melgen's behalf, including by intervening in a Medicare billing dispute.Menendez has acknowledged that he flew multiple times on Melgen's private jet to the Dominican Republic and initially failed to properly pay for the trips. Menendez in 2013 agreed to reimburse Melgen $58,500 for the full cost of two flights.The senator's office later disclosed another flight, from Florida to New Jersey in 2011, and said Menendez had repaid Melgen $11,250 for it.

IPL Player

i just posted this on the wjs site about the issue of sanctions which seems
to be the sticky point in signing a deal between iran and the p5+1.
i copy here to inform the members in this forum.

There are 3 set of sanctions on Iran:

1. UN Sanctions2. EU sanctions3. American sanctions

Iran wants immediate removal of 1 & 2 once a deal is signed and Iran starts implementing their obligations. Iran will not accept anything less on those.

The American sanctions are divided into 2 categories. There are 5 "Acts of Congress" and 19 "Executive Orders" that have imposed American sanctions on Iran. Obviously the 5 Acts have to be dealt with by Congress but the other 19 can be removed at anytime by a Presidential order.Iran is not looking for immediate removal of these and will accept a phased removal of the American only sanctions.

This is precisely why Obama let Congress have a say in the deal because they can take 55 days to approve it but the 1&2 sanctions will be removed immediately once a deal is signed. Hence both sides can claim they got 'immediate' and 'phased' sanction removal.

IPL Player

the syrian and korean threads have been polluted with too much noise.
as promised i give you my understanding of what is going on in this brief note.

can obama pull a nixon?

we have to look at the world as a whole when analyzing the events in the middle east.
the united states has been the dominant force in that region ever since the uk withdrew their forces
in the early 70s.after vitenam war ended the u.s. pivoted to the persian gulf.the opening of china to
the world by nixon gave the u.s. the freedom to plan their next doctrine which was put into writing by
president carter and his national security team.ever since the u.s. has been operating based on that doctrine
which made the persian gulf and the security of oil supplies it's #1 priority in foreign policy.that doctrine
is coming to an end now.the u.s. is not as dependent on the oil supplies from the persian gulf and in fact
the estimates are that they are going to be totally independent of that oil supply in the near future.hence
the recent pivot/rebalancing towards asia that president obama and his national security team have initiated and which
will be the basis of the next security doctrine for the u.s.

with this new doctrine the u.s. has to wrap up their involvement in the middle east and in particular the persian gulf
and pass the baton to a partner that can provide the security for the region.this is precisely the reason why the arab
spring was put into motion with the support of the u.s. and her allies.also this is why the uk and france were so eager
join in and fill the vacuum that is going to be left by the u.s.absence.the u.s. doctrine is not yet finalized.the isreali firsters
and their wings of both the republican and democratic party in particular are trying to shape the events from their own prespective and
dictate their plans for the region to obama and his team.note the reluctance of obama getting involved in libya and syria and the eagerness
of u.k. and france to get involved in both countries.also note the alliance between turkey and the reactionary forces in the arab world to
confront iran and her allies in the region.

it seems to me that obama and his team have come to the conclusion that iran is the only sane and civilized nation,
with enough power,wealth and manpower,that can be trusted in being the dominant force in the region.this has alarmed
the semites,both jews and arabs,in the region which are trying very hard to prevent the required rapprochement between
iran and the u.s. for this doctrinve to begin taking shape.turkey is also being left out of the u.s. plan and they are playing
a very confused game with close ties to the reactionary arabs and on the other hand having very troubled relations with the isrealis.
at the same time turkey also knows that iran is the only power they can trust in the region.so it is plausible that they will
pivot towards iran once iran and the u.s. come to an agreement.this is why the republican right wing and the democratic
agents of isrealis in the u.s. policy making apparatus are doing their best to prevent a deal between iran and the u.s.

what is certain is that the u.s. is wrapping up it's involvement in the persian gulf and will not allow under any
circumstances a new conflict with iran in the region.that is just not financially or militarily in their long term interest and
future pivot towards east asia to deal with a surging china. the $64 question is will iran cooperate in implementing
this new doctrine.at then end it is up to obama and his team need to sweeten the offer a lot for iran to lose their mistrust and become a
trusted partner for the u.s. for the next few decades.

in short, it is now up to obama to be a visionary and make his iran play as nixon did his china play.
Last edited by Playboy; 05-04-2013 at 02:43 PM.